Rashomon Rhapsody

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ acclaimed, meticulously restored 35 mm print of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which Janus Films is currently touring across the country, opens today at Baltimore’s historic Senator Theatre, and in a feature for the Baltimore Sun, Michael Sragow has given it praise that, unlike the event at the film’s center, is indisputable. “The test of a great, innovative movie is whether its power survives decades of imitation,” writes Sragow. “Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece . . . dwarfs its legions of successors.” The critic goes on to extol the Japanese director’s “brilliant and instinctive narrative art, which unites an audience in awe and wonder.” And he saves room to effuse over the new print, which he says makes the film look “better than anyone remembers it,” adding: “Movie presentation this luxurious doesn’t just blow your mind, but frees it.” So, if you’re in the Baltimore area this week, go blow, and open, your mind! Stay tuned here for future dates.